Back Pain and Pregnancy; More Common Than You Thought

Bottom Line

The changes that happen to a woman when creating and nurturing a baby can be tough. The body and mind have an uphill challenge that can take the toll even on the strongest woman.  By the second trimester it’s normal to be gaining a pound a week, which will help sustain the baby. As the belly expands and grows, the strain on the body more specifically certain muscles increases. These muscles include but are not limited to the low back, hips, and glutes.

 

Why it Matters

Carvalho, Lima, Terceiro, Pinto, Silva, & Couceiro (2016) found that when it comes to low back pain the frequency of pain was cited at 68% of pregnant populations. Carvalho et al., (2016) followed 97 pregnant women during their 30th week of gestation. Low back pain is becoming increasingly more common and a blight on a vast number of mothers to be. By getting a step ahead and managing your pain before it manifests, it will help reduce stress. With this reduction in stress the overall health of both you and your baby will be significantly better. Don’t forget if you do not take care of yourself, then the pregnancy will be more taxing on you and the child.

 

Next steps

Keeping active by doing fun, safe activities is huge for pain management as well as good for the mind!

 

Some great examples of activities that can work for you:

  • Walking
  • Stationary biking
  • Low-impact activities (Yoga, Lamaze)
  • Weight training with a knowledgeable trainer

 Click the links and watch the video to find out the benefits of these great exercises:

 1.     Cat camels and Childs pose

2.     Clamshells

3.     Glute bridges

4.     Triplanar stretch

 

Consult your OBGYN first before starting exercise.

Carvalho MECC, Lima LC, de Lira Terceiro CA, Pinto DRL, Silva MN, Cozer GA, Couceiro TCM. Lombalgia na gestação [Low back pain during pregnancy]. Rev Bras Anestesiol. 2017 May-Jun;67(3):266-270. Portuguese. doi: 10.1016/j.bjan.2016.03.002. Epub 2016 May 21. PMID: 27220735.

https://vertebralsubluxationresearch.com/2019/10/07/resolution-of-back-pain-sleep-disturbance-in-a-pregnant-patient-following-chiropractic-care-using-webster-technique-a-case-report-review-of-literature/

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